Department of Health and Social Care written question – answered at on 18 March 2026.
Harpreet Uppal
Labour, Huddersfield
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment (a) his Department and (b) UKHSA has made of the potential risks of exposure to high ambient temperatures during pregnancy including (i) stillbirth, (ii) preterm birth and (iii) maternal health complications.
Karin Smyth
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) recognise that there are risks to pregnant women caused by exposure to extreme high temperatures, which are set out in the Adverse weather and health plan equity review and impact assessment 2024. This includes an assessment on stillbirth, pre-term birth, and maternal health complications.
The UKHSA provides a weather-health alerting system for England, which alerts the public, including specific vulnerable groups such as pregnant women, and public sector organisations to prepare for impacts of adverse weather, including high temperatures. Risks to health are communicated via heat-health alerts.
Yes1 person thinks so
No0 people think not
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Secretary of State was originally the title given to the two officials who conducted the Royal Correspondence under Elizabeth I. Now it is the title held by some of the more important Government Ministers, for example the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
